Spacer or chair bar for concrete-reenforcing bars



June 5, 1928. 1,672,176

C. P..SCHUMACHER ET AL SPACER OR CHAIR BAR FOR CONCRETE REENFORCING BARS Filed May 15, 1925 C. F. JcHuMA CHER L8. ,SCHUMACHER A TTORNL'VJ Patented June 5, 19 28.

ourran STATES I 1,672,176 PATENT OFFICE.

CLARK 1. SCHUMAC I-IER AND LEON B. SCHUMACHER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SPACER 0R CHAIR BAR FOR ,CONCRETE-REENFORCING BARS!- Application nice May 15, 1925. Serial No. 30,441.

This invention relates generally to improvements in spacers, and particularly to a spacer or chair bar for supporting and spacing steel bars of the type used for reent'orc ing concrete structures, such, as horizontal such manner that it embraced and thus 7 gripped the reenforcing bar. In the use of spacers or chairs of the type suggested, the operation of bending the tongues so that they would embrace the reenforcing bars was a time-consuming one, and to eliminate this loss of time we have devised the'spacer or chair bar disclosed herein, which, briefly stated, comprises a bar formed of more or less resilient material shaped to include one or more gripping elements or chairs. Due to the resiliency of the material of which the bar is formed, and because of the shape of said gripping elements or chairs, the walls of the gripping elements or chairs are capable of frictionally gripping the reenforcing bars so that said reenforcing bars are securely held without the use of the tongues or similar elements formerly employed.

The main object of the present invention therefore is to produce an extremely simple and inexpensive spacer or chair bar which is so constructed that the elements which are adapted to engage the reenforcing bars will frictionally grip said reenforcing bars, thus providing for secure connection between the spacer or chair bars and the reenforc-' ing bars, and without the use of the external gripping elements formerly used.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it is to be understood that the invention comprehends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. I is a fragmentary perspective showing fragments of a plurality of spacer or chair bars and fragments of reenforcing bars associated therewitlnand showing the manner in which the reenforcing bars are supported and spaced by our improved spacer or chairbars. I

.Fig. II is a section on line II II of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a plan view of the fragments of the spacer or chair bar. and the reenforcing bar shown in Fig. II. V

In the drawing, A designates our improved spacer or chair bars which are preferably made of metal of a more. or less resilient nature. Specifically stated, each of the spacer or chair bars comprises an elongated bar shaped so asto be provided with a plurality of gripping elements or chairs B,

which are spaced apart from each other in a' direction parallelwith the length of the bar, Each of the gripping elements or chairs B is preferablyformed integral with the bar of which it forms apart, said grip: ping elements or chairs comprising oppositely disposed portions 1 which extend up-.. I

Wardly from the main portion 2 of the bar and inner gripping portions 3 located be tween the oppositely disposed portions 1. The lower end portions of the inner grip ping portions 3 of the chairs B are in' the form of loops, and each of said inner portions extends some distance downwardly below the main portion 2 of the bar (Fig. II). 4 designates a curved seat which forms a part of the inner gripping portion of'each chair B, said'seats being each formed by a pair of oppositely disposed walls shaped to correspond approximately with the cross sectional shape of the reenforcing bars C, and said seats being adapted to receive the reenforcing bars C, as suggested by Fig. II. It will be noted that the seats l are open at the top to provide a space 5 which permits the reenforcing bars C to be introduced into said seats, but as will be observed, said spaces 5 are not as wide as the diameter of the reenforcing bars. Because .of this arrangement it is apparent that to introduce the reenforcing bars G into the seats 4 the upper portion of the gripping elements or chairs B must be spread apart, as suggested by dotted lines in Fig. II. 6 designates said spacer or chair bars are first located within the form, said bars being supported in any suitable manner and being spaced the proper distance apart. When the bars have been properly positioned, the gripping elements or chairs B are'arranged in rows so that the aXes of the seats are in alinement. This arrangement willcause the spaces 5 above the seats to be in alinement also, as shown in Fig. I. The elongated reenforcing bars C are then arranged so that each bar C is supported by the upper portions of a row of gripping elements or chairs B. When the bars are arranged as described, said bars are positioned as suggested by dotted lines in Fig. 11, that is, with said bars resting upon the upper curved portions 6 of the chairs and with the lower portions of said bars extended into the spaces 5. The bars C 'arethen depressed in any suitable manner,'for instance, by the operator stepping upon them, and said bars are forced downwardly. This will cause the upwardly extended portions of thechairs to be spread apart untils'aid bars have been "forced into the seats 4, when-the oppositely -disposed walls of the chairs will move toward each 'other'and frictionallygrip the 'bars C.

We have shown reenfor'cin'g bars in the drawing which are round in cross-section, but it isapparent that reenforcing bars of any'oth'er crossjs'ectional shape may be employed, and also it is plain that the shape of the gripping elements or chairs 'may be changed without departing from the spirit of our invention.

When our improved spacers or chair bars are 1n use in a form, the lower looped portions of the inner gripping portions of the chairsiunction as legs for-supporting said bars, consequently said bars are adequatelysupported when the reeniorcing bars C are forced downwardly to move said reenforcing bars into seats 4.

mg theuppe'r walls thereof flared outwardly v in a shape corresponding approximately to the cross-sectional shape of thereenforcing bars, the lengths of said brace between successive gripping portions being "countersunk to provide vertically extending wa lls' ad'jacent to each side of the flared walls ofsaid gripping portions whereby the braces serve not only to support and to space the reenforcing bars, but also as means to reenforce the concrete structure in a direction at right angles to the lengthwise dimension of the reenforcing bars.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing we hereunto "afiix our signatures.

[CLARK P.- SGHUMACHER.

LEON B. SCHUTZEAOHER. 

